Why Mercedes' enemies will rue their 2017 failure

Mercedes was vulnerable in Formula 1 last year, yet still walked away with both world championship titles. It might not have reinvented the wheel for 2018, but its collection of marginal improvements already mark it out as favourite

"We have a motto in the team that the difficult days are the ones our competitors regret, because the painful experiences make you so much stronger. If you keep calm and analyse what happened, and try to improve, it just adds to your strength and knowledge."

This was Toto Wolff, speaking after his Mercedes Formula 1 team clinched its fourth consecutive constructors' championship crown at last year's United States Grand Prix. It's a mantra that underpins the way F1's current top team operates - a forensic approach to identifying weaknesses and obliterating them, leading the opposition to rue the day they dared threaten the Silver Arrows' lofty status as grand prix racing's dominant force.